The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-01-21
" rittcn for the MONITOR.
THE ANTi-SALOON REPUBLICANS.

BYJFS.
The anti-saioon Republican convention
held at Chicago in October last, adopted
dictments Of our licensed rum traffic that
was ever penned or spoken and can be
fully endorsed by the most radical Pro
hibitionist There We're very many prom
inent, eminent and honorable men at this
convention aud none question that they
were temperance men, but | have my hon
est and privileged doubts if those men
would ever have met in convention had it
not been for the agitation given the liquor
question by the ProlIibitonists and the
feeling that possessed them, that unless
something was done the Republican par
ty would Lave to go under as whisky
party. give extracts from their adopted
platform:
THE evils of the liquor traffic as embodi-
ed in the American saloon system have
reached a magnitude and degree OF de-
structiveness that threaten the foundations
of government, society and the home. The
time has therefore come when political
parties and private citizens must take sides
openly for or against the traffic with its
methods and its results. Neutrality is
henceforth impossible; indifference is hence
forth a betrayal Of the trust involved in
citizenship. The anti-saloon Republican
movement recognizes and proclaims this
state of things. The American liquor traffic.
longer legitimate and law abiding branch
of trade, serving to supply a natural and
enforced demand for any commodity;
however harmful. The saloon system, en-
conraged and directed by the distillers,
brewers and wholesale liquor dealers, has
become vast and yigilant organization
for forcing market for Intoxicating drinks.
1t creates demand where none before
existed. that it may profit by supplying
that demand; it artiiicially stimulates an
civil habit that it may thrive by pandering
to it; it methodically breeds debauchery,
anarchy and crime for pay; it purposely
seeks to multiply the number Of drinkers
and hence of drunkards: it invades every
new community, demands tribute from
ticements for each new generation of youth.
1t deliberately fosters the treating custom
and intensifies the widespread social pes
sure toward drinking by inventing new
pretexts for treating and being treated.
Each enc of our 200, 600 drinking places
forms distinct center of aggressive forces
and skilful devices for spreading the drink
habit among men. Every plausible temp
taton and solicitation that trained talent
can suggest is used to entrap the young,
The ignerant, the toling and the homeless,
with the know ledge that customer once
secured is usually a customer for life. The
saloon system is ln active cause, not an
innocent result; il is the parent. not the
child. of ike mass OF human misery
which everywhere accompanies it. Expert
ence indicates that four-fifths of American
drinking and drunkenness is due int he first
instance, not to any natural appetite of our
people. but to the presence and sleepess
efforts of this gigantic enginery, work ing
seven days week aud twenty four hours a
day, unrestraned 10y any scruple. and
everywhere contemptuous of public and
private right.
IF the saloon is the enemy of society. it
is tie special foe of the workingman and
his home Defective laws and unjust Gus
toms which bear hardly upon labor ought
to be and must be reformed, bat the central
cause of the unthrift and the resulting
unrest among wage workers is the fright
full waste OF the wage fund included in the
gross receipts of the saloons. This absorp-
ton OF the earnings of labor 10y the dram
shop. representing direct yearly waste OF
hundreds of millions of dollars, also pro
portionately destroys the ability of the
working class To purchase and consume
the necesssries OF life, thus greatly curail
ing production and trade, diminishing the
sources Of employment and tending to holt
wages at the lowest level. Add to this thu
consequent loss OF time. vitality and work
ing power and the taxes paid by labor I,
counteract the public evils OF the drinl
traffic, and a sum is produced which figure
cannot represent, and which, il returned t.
the pocket Of labor where il belongs
would largely replace misery with comfort
idleness with well-paid employment, tur
oulence with content, and solve for al